Were all ghetto kids now

As the sound of the streets becomes more violent, the middle-classes are lapping it up. But is raps global dominance something to worry about, asks Alan Yentob

I grew up listening to the Beatles, the blues and Jimi Hendrix. The performers who appealed to us were often those our parents didn’t like. But rap music elicits a different register of outrage. With lyrics that can be violent, crude and profane, the worry is that some of it is manufactured by former criminals and the stories they recount could influence the behaviour of impressionable young fans.

Gangsta rap has taken hold across Britain, crossing barriers of colour or class and blaring out of most teenagers’ bedrooms. Your children and mine love hip-hop and its harsh attitude — many parents are worried. Kim Howells, the former culture minister, called in the House of Commons earlier this year for a debate on the links between rap and gun crime, adding that with three children he had no choice but to listen to this music.